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In a major legal victory for workers, the supreme court of Turkey has declared that IBM Turkey must recognize UNI affiliate Tez-Koop-Is as the official trade union in the company. The judgement is final and non-appealable.



UNI global union warmly welcomes this decision which comes after a bruising legal battle in the tribunals and urges IBM to respect it.



“This was a costly dispute that IBM could have easily avoided by talking to the union when it first met the threshold for recognition,” said UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings. “UNI reached out to the company on frequent occasions only for IBM to refuse to engage in dialogue or abide by its legal obligation to recognise the union.”



The union is now willing to engage in collective agreement negotiations with management in the days to come.



UNI Global Union has called on IBM to respect the legal decision and to get into a meaningful negotiation with the union.



“The time for sabre rattling is over,” Jennings said. “The legal case has been lost. The opportunity for a voluntary agreement should have been taken.”



UNI is sending a mission to Turkey next week to support Tez-Koop-Is in another recognition campaign at global supermarket chain Tesco’s Turkish stores.